The Ikea Symfonisk table lamp speaker is a lamp with a built-in Sonos speaker. In this Ikea Symfonisk review you can read whether both lamp and speaker are an enrichment of your (smart) home.
Ikea Symphonic table lamp
Price €129, €149 (textile shade), €159 (glass shade)
Connections Ethernet or Wi-Fi
Format 16 x 22 x 25 cm (glass version), 16 x 25 x 20 cm (textile version)
Weight 3.3 kg (textile), 4.6 kg (glass)
Colors Black and white
app Sonos for Android and iOS
Website www.ikea.com
8 Score 80 
- Pros
- Price quality
- Sound quality
- Accessible
- Negatives
- No smart lighting
Many people try to keep their speakers out of sight as much as possible, by letting them blend into the interior. For example by putting them in a cupboard. Or by placing them completely out of sight, behind an object. Both are not conducive to the sound reproduction of the speaker, which just needs space to let the sound pass through the room as unimpeded as possible. Ikea understands this need well and comes with different speakers, each of which merges with the interior in its own way.
For example, in 2019 Ikea already came under the name Symfonisk with a bookshelf speaker, which you can hang on the wall or put as a book in the cupboard. Simultaneously, another Ikea table lamp was presented and in 2020 a Symphony picture frame with speaker. All these speakers connect via WiFi and can be connected via the Sonos app. This way you can play music, podcasts or audiobooks in every room, with higher sound quality than Bluetooth. Sonos speakers can also simply be linked. Smart.
Old and new lamp
The first generation of the Symfonisk lamp was in fact a Sonos One speaker with a lamp, which also had an equivalent price of 179 euros. That lamp has now been discontinued and it seems that the bookshelf speaker will not be available for too long.
This second generation seems to be slightly cheaper with a price tag of 129 euros. In practice, the price difference is not that bad, since you also have to purchase a lampshade. This comes in two versions, including one of frosted glass, where the lamp is inside two glasses. The outer glass is somewhat shaped like a Lego head. A textile version is also available. The glass version costs thirty euros, the textile version twenty.
You can buy both lamps and hoods in a black and white version. It is also possible to buy both lampshades separately to exchange them. It therefore does not seem completely inconceivable that if the lamp sells well, you will have more choices in the long run.
Compared to the first Symfonisk lamp, this second generation seems to be a bit more luxurious and better put together, especially in the details, and the size is somewhat smaller. Still, the design is quite distinct, so it’s a matter of taste. Apart from the design, the lamps do not seem to differ much from each other. The format is similar. In the lamp base you turn a bulb with a large fitting (E27).
The speaker is easy to set up via the Sonos app
smart speaker
The speaker is therefore incorporated in the lamp base. You can connect this lamp base with your network via WiFi or by connecting an Ethernet cable. Of course, the lamp also needs a power cable. Configuration is done via the Sonos app and is beeped in no time. If you already have Sonos speakers at home, you can effortlessly add this Symfonisk to your multi-room system.
The lamp speaker only works on the latest version of the Sonos app. For example, if you use a first-generation Play:5 from Sonos in the Sonos S1 app, you cannot add it to your multi-room system. It is, however, possible to connect two of the same Symfonisk lamp speakers for a stereo setup, as is also possible with the Sonos One.
There is no microphone placed in the speaker, which means that music control with speech or connection with a smart assistant is not possible. You can play music on your Ikea Symfonisk speaker via voice control on your phone or another device with a smart assistant.
You can also connect directly to your Symfonisk speaker via music, audiobook, podcast or other audio app, for example via Spotify Connect or AirPlay 2. For example, you can also use it to play an audiobook from the bedside table for going to sleep.
If you don’t have a device at hand, you can also adjust the volume via buttons on the lamp base itself. Here you will also find the button to switch the light on and off.
Sound quality
For a speaker of 129 euros (actually 149 or 159, because without a lampshade it is not a sight), the Ikea Symfonisk produces excellent sound. In terms of sound reproduction, there is virtually no difference between this lamp and a Sonos One/SL or the first version of the lamp. The sound is clear and powerful and much better than, for example, a Google Nest Audio or a Bluetooth speaker. In any case, the lamp is able to play music in a large living room without the sound being distorted or difficult to hear on the other side of the room.
The sound is carefully tuned, where, for example, no bass tones dominate and details are still perfectly audible. Compared to more expensive speakers with a WiFi connection from high-end brands, the sound is a bit shriller.
No smart bulb
So far a smart concept that seems to have been worked out well. Still, it feels like a missed opportunity that there is no built-in smart lighting. For example, the Symfonisk’s internet connection could have been expanded with the option of linking the lamp to a Trådfri or other smart lighting system. If you now want to link the Symfonisk lamp to your smart home, you will have to purchase a separate smart bulb for this.
It would have been useful if some form of support had already been built in. Perhaps also logical, also for Ikea itself, that more users can become acquainted with Trådfri in an accessible way.
Conclusion: buy Ikea Symphony?
Does the design of the lamp speak, where a speaker is subtly incorporated into the lamp base? Then it is without a doubt a good purchase. The Ikea Symfonisk table lamp is attractively priced and the sound is better than other speakers in the same price range. An accessible entry or nice extension of a multi-room audio system. However, it would also have been an excellent (entry) step for smart lighting. That feels like a missed opportunity.
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